110/69 Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Spanish police have arrested a 20-year-old man in Madrid on allegations that he manipulated the payment system of a hotel and travel booking website to secure luxury room reservations for just €0.01 per night. The actual room rates reportedly reached up to €1,000 per night, resulting in losses exceeding €20,000 for at least one affected hotel. The suspect has been charged with computer fraud and remains under further investigation.
According to investigators, the suspect interfered with the payment gateway integrated with an international electronic payment platform. He allegedly carried out a tailored cyberattack designed to manipulate the transaction validation process, causing the system to approve bookings as if full payment had been completed—despite transferring only one cent per reservation. The irregularities were discovered after a travel agency identified discrepancies between received payments and the total value of confirmed bookings.
Authorities identified the suspect within days of receiving the report and arrested him while he was staying at a luxury hotel in Madrid. Investigators found that he had booked multiple nights and used additional services without paying the actual costs. Police described the method as highly sophisticated and unprecedented in this form. The investigation is ongoing to assess the total financial impact and determine whether additional individuals were involved.
